As the cost of sensors, communications systems and navigational systems has dropped, operators of commercial and fleet vehicles now have the ability to collect a tremendous amount of data about the vehicles that they operate, including geographical position data (generally referred to herein as GPS data, noting that position data can be collected by systems related to but distinct from the well known Global Positioning System) collected during the operation of the vehicle.
Vehicle fleet operators often operate vehicles along predefined and generally invariant routes. For example, buses frequently operate on predefined routes, according to a predefined time schedule (for example, along a route that is geographically, as well as temporally defined). It would be desirable to provide new techniques for analyzing data collected from vehicles transiting such predefined routes over time, to aid in identifying vehicle performance problems requiring servicing.
Vehicle fleet operators often operate vehicles both on road and off road. Significantly, fuel tax is calculated differently for on road and off road use. It would be desirable to provide new techniques for analyzing data collected from vehicles operating both on road and off road, to enable fuel tax calculations to be performed more accurately.